A Diamond

[HUMMER_MAN]

If anyone can get greater magnification & DOF lets talk, PLEASE!!

[notsotechie]

Have you ever try focus stacking?

here is a ink to look it up

Focus stacking

Cheers

[Not4wood]

Yo Notso,

I haven't seen you in a bit, how ya doin?

I just checked the stacking out, it looks real interesting almost like an HDR shot.

[HUMMER_MAN]

Yes, I am familiar with the software but really not interested for several reasons, the most important being the "edification" issues that it brings to the table. I am constantly attempting to stretch or bend the laws of physics with a one shot process. Thanks for the reply.

[notsotechie]

Ok Hummer_Man
well it the dimond held up with a claw of some type?
then you can try adding controlled lighting from underneath? but it will probbaly a pin hole size. opening.
as for magnification and clarity I thinkk if you had the surround background black non reflective material.
if you can get hold of say a ring flash type that can be adjusted n any angel.
other than that umm not sure what else to think of sorry.



Oh Not bad Not4wood
being doing all right.
Just the weather out here has not been in my favour so have not gotten out and about latley.

Cheers

[HUMMER_MAN]

This is a toughy, been working on it for 6 years and Im sorta at at stalemate at this point. Maybe NASA will let me into their optic boneyard someday!! Thank you very much for your consideration.

[LordV]

The only way to get more dof at high magnification would be to use focus stacking or use a camera with a much smaller sensor which brings it's own problems. I suspect you are using smallish effective apertures which brings with it problems with diffraction softening ?

Interesting to see the inclusions in the diamond- are they gas bubbles ?

Brian V.

[HUMMER_MAN]

The "bubbles" are known to the industry as clear knots.... I know, it does'nt look like a knot to me either but that is the jargon. What I use now, is a series of componenets that must be configured in a particular way, the only way that I have discovered at thia point to deliver the DOF & magnification levels that I have. Making an image of a diamond has it's own unique set of challenges(facets) in some cases as many as 88 on one diamond & they are all tiny mirrors that destort & defract light, as I said they are tough to shoot under the most ideal settings.

[garyosborne]

I can imagine. Looks a little soft I'm guessing you are trying to stop down to get DOF but adding diffraction. Would love to see it on a black background

[HUMMER_MAN]

Black or dark background is counter-productive because, greater magnification deminish's light in several ways and a diamond is cut to allow the overwhelming percentage of available light to enter from the table, the largest facet on any diamond and the bottom(the cutlet) if cut correctly is completely closed so that leaves only the pavillion facets for light to enter from the bottom and the angle of the pavillion facets, allows very little light to enter, their function is to reflect the light so in order to have sufficient light it has to enter thru the table and the crown facets. As you can see in the image where the diamond is touching the surface of the material it is sitting on the pavillion facets are black and that is not the color of the material, that's from light blockage. Sufficient light is always a challenge when shooting diamonds and the management of the light is a nightmare. As I said, there are up to 88 facets, each on a different angle that act like tiny mirrors to make it as tough as anything you will ever try to shoot. Most shooters just throw in the towel & shoot in black & white to avoid undesired dispersion & defraction but I suppose I'm just not that smart!!

[HUMMER_MAN]

OOPS! I forgot to attach this image shot in black & white.

[zero rc]

both these shots are pretty good, jim!! im your original post, you asked about greater magnification AND DOF. in my exp, the two are on opposite ends of the scale.(please see fig.1; @40x the DOF is razor thin. notice how the strain halo is sharp but the accompanying crystals, esp the one on top is already falling apart!)
the first shot looks like you focused just below the table, good for showing off the inclusions but the girdles outline could be a touch sharper. the 2nd shot is very nice, but i would not feel its a accurate representaion of the stone unless you are talking about a D' color piece. (even then its kind of a streatch, in b/w there are no colorful highlights).also, i would shoot on a grey background or the darkfield that was sugested. notice how in the first shot, some of the girdles outline is lost in the background. the second shot,( the step cut), shows better seperation and you get a nice clean outline. again, these are both good shots. but i think in order to get a greater magnification (other than the 10x you already have) you will have to sacrifce DOF.

[Athena]

The second one is much more beautiful to my completely untrained, likes sparkly things, girl eyes. What is the purpose of a shot like the first one? Valuation? Insurance? Personal Challenge?

Could you shoot these in some sort of tiny cone like holder on a light box? That would definitely give you light from the bottom. Or a any type of background with a small hole beneath the diamond and a flash behind the hole?